Moving from standard to expanded text ads

As you make the transition in your account to longer ads, keep these guidelines in mind:

Test multiple versions of expanded text ads. You’ve most likely spent months (or even years) crafting successful ad text under the old limits. One new expanded version isn’t guaranteed to win, which is why you should experiment with multiple approaches, ideally 3-5 per ad group.

Don’t forget lessons learned from standard text ads. If your existing text ad outperforms your expanded text ad on certain queries, try mimicking your standard text ad in the new expanded template. Consider promoting description line 1 from your standard text ad into headline 2 of your expanded text ad. Similarly, if successful ad text contained numbers or pricing, retain those as you rethink that entire creative. You have a chance to be more compelling, which may simply mean that you add a little bit more context to your already compelling ads. You can even experiment with moving around different components from previously successful ads.

Focus your ad tests on your headlines, using the advice found throughout this guide. This guide is based on beta testing along with what we observed over years of performance with longer headlines. Headlines are important, and it’s crucial to test that additional space first.

Leave your standard ads running until the new expanded versions perform. If you find that shorter, standard versions are performing better, compare that ad side-by-side with your new expanded text ads. Learn from what’s working and expand on that success with your additional text.